The Hand Of Fate
by Mionefan
Summary: Harry dies again and Fate decides to give him a break and help him a bit. AU starting end of second year. Rated M for safety in later chapters
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

The Hand of Fate

A/N The usual disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, that's JKR's and I'm pleased she made a ton on money from it. I, however, make none and couldn't care less.

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

_Here comes a chopper to chop off your head_

"You cost me my House Elf! AVADA KEDAVRA!

Harry Potter awoke after what seemed like a nightmare. Lucius Malfoy had fired an Avada Kedavra at him after he had freed Dobby and despite Dobby blasting his former master down the corridor, the unforgivable curse had struck Harry.

"Well, Mr. Potter," a voice said. "Back again? This is getting tiring. Can't you be more careful and aware of the consequences of your actions?"

"Who are you and what are you talking about? I've just had a horrible nightmare and it looks like it's continuing."

"Oh, it was no nightmare Harry, you're dead again," the voice sighed irritatedly. The man, for Harry had now looked at the man approaching him, was dressed in white, which seemed to be the general colour of his surroundings. He was a bit taller than most people Harry had seen, standing well over two meters, with bare feet.

"I'm dead?" Harry squeaked. "Um… again, you said?"

…..

In the corridor just outside the Headmaster's office, there was pandemonium. Ron had been on his way to the Great Hall for dinner when he saw a body lying on the floor and a house elf bending over the body sobbing uncontrollably. Closer inspection revealed to his horror that it was his best mate Harry. He let out a piercing scream which had the effect of alerting half the school that had been sitting down to eat. A veritable mob of students and teachers rushed to see what had happened.

Hermione had just been released from being petrified and heard the commotion. She was second after Ron to spot the body. "What happened? Is that…? HARRY! She screamed. Ron? Is… is he alive?"

Ron was too shocked to answer and as the crowd gathered, the headmaster appeared and quickly examined the boy. Running his wand over Harry, he sighed, "I'm afraid he's dead."

"NO, NOT HARRY! Hermione screamed, and fainted.

The crowd gasped in shock.

"H-how did he die, Professor? Ron finally asked.

Dobby answered, sobbing, "Evil Master Lucius killed the Great Harry Potter after Harry Potter tricked Master Lucius into presenting Dobby with clothes and freeing Dobby."

"Where is Mr. Malfoy, Dobby?"

People turned to where Dobby was pointing at an unconscious man slumped against the wall, far down the corridor.

The Headmaster had quickly bound Lucius Malfoy and asked Professor McGonagall to notify the DMLE.

Madam Pomfrey had tried to enervate Hermione, and seeing no response, quickly levitated her and Harry away from the crowd and back to the hospital wing. "Oh Harry," she sighed, tears in her eyes, "why you?"

Setting them both on beds, she turned her attention to Hermione. There was a nasty gash on the back of her head where her head had hit the floor and despite the Mediwitch healing the cut, Hermione remained unconscious. Her breathing was shallow and her heartbeat irregular.

"That's odd," she thought. "She just fainted and hit her head, why won't she awake?"

Poppy continued to examine the young girl, her brow furrowing in concentration as she ran her wand over her body. "That's odd," she thought. "There seems to be something…" She gasped as the truth dawned on her. "They're connected!"

She quickly stepped over to Harry and ran her wand over the supposedly dead boy. "My word! But that's impossible! There's a connection to Mr. Potter, but he should be dead."

…..

"If I'm dead, who are you?" Harry asked. "And what do you mean I'm dead again?"

"Oh you can call me Fate, although that's not my real name; you would not be able to pronounce it in any case, but yes, once again you are dead. The Man upstairs is quite upset with us, you know. You've been here," he paused, thinking, "let's see, there was the initial killing curse when you were fifteen months old, then when you were "rescued" on Halloween, you froze to death on your relatives door step, despite being wrapped up. Then at school when you were beaten to death by a gang of bullies led by your cousin. We had a bit of work cleaning that mess up, believe me. Oh, yes, then there was first year at Hogwarts… the troll incident where you were crushed when it fell on you, you were fatally bitten by the three headed Cerberus and almost dragged off to Hell. We got to you just in time and were able to modify the time line so that you escaped with your wife and friend. Then…"

"Wait! What do you mean, my WIFE? When did this happen? Who...?"

"Well Hermione Jane Potter, of course. You are dense! When? Well, there is some debate about that, but it's generally believed it was in first year when you saved her from the troll and you soul bonded. Of course, some believe it was even before that, on the train when she repaired your glasses and the spell connected your souls. Did you not notice that?"

"Hermione? I mean, she's my best friend, but seriously, my wife? You've got to be kidding."

"I never kid, Harry. Now, to continue, there was the troll and the Cerberus as well as Professor Quirrell and Voldemort's shade in first year, three times, actually. That fall you took from your broom that Mrs. Potter saved you from the second time around allowed you to continue, but the meeting with Quirrell/Voldemort in the forest and in the chamber was almost beyond our ability to change. Second year, well the Acromantula's and the Basilisk were bad enough, I guess, but you had to taunt Lucius Malfoy and that's why you're here this time. I won't even go into your third through seventh years, since you won't remember them anyway, but when you go back, I'll make sure you know about them as well. Suffice to say, you've been here way too many times and your wife is the only thing keeping you from passing on at the moment, but it's a touch and go thing. If she dies, then it's curtains for you as well. We'll just have to start all over again with the other boy and hope for the best."

Harry had listened with his jaw hanging open. In truth, he only really paid attention when Hermione was mentioned again. "Wait, what do you mean that if Hermione dies? She's alright, isn't she?"

"Well, no, she hit her head when she fainted on your latest death, and only the soul connection she has with you is keeping her alive and the reason why you haven't passed on yet. You know, you really must try harder to stay alive. You do have a destiny to fulfill… oops, I'll have to erase that last bit when we send you back."

"Destiny? Send me back? You mean you can send me back? Uh, you've sent me back before?"

"Well, not me personally, but yes, you will get sent back until you get it right. Just try not to screw things up again. The Man is getting a bit pissed off that he's had to modify the time line so often. I'll try to talk to Him and make sure you have a bit more protection this time, after all, you've been through this part twice before and haven't learned much. Your wife has tried to keep you safe, but your friend Ron seems bent on getting you into trouble. What is it about redheads anyway? Oh, and stay away from that redheaded Weasley fan-girl. Eventually she'll try potions to get you, and your wife won't like that."

"Ginny? What's that all about?"

"Well, I'm not supposed to tell you, but I guess it won't hurt to give you a bit of a heads up. Miss Weasley and her mother see you as her future husband so they can have access to your vault. Oh, and your wife is supposed to fall for that slacker Ron. I mean really, how obtuse is that? Smart girl falls for a dim bulb? Come on! But he'll try, just because his mother thinks that'll take Hermione away from you and they can marry you off to their daughter."

"Okay, then who do I trust besides Hermione?"

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself, I'm afraid. When the time line changes, all bets are off. There are some constants, but if you're careful, you'll survive. You know your parents are a little disappointed in you so far? Lily thought you should be way smarter than you appear to be and James thinks you should be a prankster, but a lot more careful than he was about being caught. They are proud that you've managed to bond with the smartest witch in the school though. And James is proud that you're a good Quidditch player, but Lily thinks it's too dangerous. I tend to agree since at least a couple of your deaths are directly related to that game."

"But I love Quidditch! Well, actually, I love flying," Harry responded.

"Yes, well, you tend to do foolish things to win games; never mind that Voldemort tried to kill you through Quirrell hexing your broom, and actually succeeded the first time."

"Well, I'll try to be more careful, but one more question: does Hermione know… you know, about us being soul bonded?"

"No, but you are going to be allowed to tell her this time. Just don't tell anyone else, since the bond is a bit fragile until you um, consummate the bond."

"Consummate the bond? Just what does that mean?"

"You're a bit young yet, but you'll have to have sex with her. Just be careful and wait a few years, say at least until you're sixteen. Oh, and it would be a good idea to claim your heritage this summer. Dumbledore hasn't told you yet, but he will."

Harry had blushed at the mention of sex with his best friend, no wife. "Err, s-sex? I'm sure I never thought of her like that!"

Fate snickered, "Well now you have and you'll remember when you're sent back, so don't worry, it'll happen when you're both ready. Remember you'll still be twelve."

…..

Ron and Ginny were in the hospital room with their parents. Ginny had just been checked over and Ron had left for dinner, when Madam Pomfrey brought in Harry and Hermione. Ron had followed them back and was clearly worried about Hermione. Harry was now apparently out of the picture and Ron wanted to make sure that Hermione took more notice of him. It was too bad that Harry had died before Ginny could claim him, but he never really liked Harry anyway. His mother promised him that if he got close to Harry, he could have Hermione for himself. She was smart, after all and would help him pass all his exams. He'd made the mistake of insulting her last year and had tried to rectify the mistake by knocking out the troll, and he'd taken the hit with the giant chess set. How Harry had talked him into going with Professor Lockhart to the Chamber of Secrets, he'd never know. Well, there was Ginny, of course, but Harry had saved her in the end. Now, his mother was weeping over the loss of Harry. His dad also had tears in his eyes, but Ginny just looked furious. Four people, four different thoughts.

Fate looked down on this and shuddered at what Harry was going to return to.

…..


	2. Chapter 2: Oranges & Lemons

The Hand of Fate

A/N The usual disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, that's JKR's and I'm pleased she made a ton on money from it. I, however, make none and couldn't care less.

This chapter name is from an old English nursery rhyme: Oranges & Lemons.

_Oranges and lemons _

_Say the bells of St. Clement's_

**Chapter 2: Oranges & Lemons**

"Well, Mr. Potter, The Man is ready to send you back and has prepared the time line to accept you. You'll arrive in the Hogwarts hospital wing, along side your wife, but there will be a few differences. Yes, you still got hit with the killing curse, but instead of dying, it ejected that bit of Voldemort's soul that was embedded in your scar. That should make things a little easier on you in the future. Ask Dumbledore about your scar, but don't tell him about being here. He's not likely to tell you, but it should shake him up a bit. Your wife will have a few questions (Fate snickered at this) and you can tell her, but she won't believe you just yet. You'll have to work on that bit yourself. No help from us, I'm afraid. The help we've provided will mean no one can read your thoughts, no matter how hard they try. This protection is called Occlumency and Hermione will have the same protection. This is necessary and would normally be beyond a second year's ability. The Headmaster and his pet snake are accomplished Legilimens and regularly practice it on the students. I'd watch out for them as well. Dumbledore thinks you have to die when you finally meet Voldemort, whose real name by the way, is Tom Marvolo Riddle. Poppycock we say, you don't have to die by his hand, but accidents can still happen, so be forewarned and be careful. Now, upsy-daisy, and away we go!"

Harry felt a lurch in his stomach and he fell, well he felt like he was falling. In reality, he fell back into his body and groaned. "Ooh, my head. Did anyone get the licence of the lorry that hit me?"

Hermione snapped awake at the same time with a blinding headache. "Harry! You're alive! Ooh my head! Where are we?"

"Hospital ward d'you reckon?"

Looking around proved Harry right, as Madam Pomfrey almost fainted upon seeing a supposedly dead Harry Potter try to sit up.

Rubbing his head, he immediately felt something missing. The scar that had figured so prominently in his life on his forehead seemed to be gone, or at least he couldn't feel it.

"Mr. Potter! How is it you're alive, when I just examined you and found no life signs?"

Harry smirked and answered saucily, "Well as I live and breathe, you're the mediwitch, you tell me."

"It's not funny, Harry," Hermione glared. "You were examined by Professor Dumbledore and pronounced dead."

"Do you want me to be dead, Hermione?" he asked meekly.

"Harry, NO! That's the very last thing I'd ever want. It's just… just, errgh, I… I…"

"You what, Hermione?" Harry was now remembering everything that Fate had told him. Hermione was his wife! That was going to take a bit getting used to. How should he approach this?

Hermione's face turned bright scarlet as she thought she heard Harry say she was his wife. "H-Harry? Did you just say I-I'm you're wife?" she whispered.

Madam Pomfrey had heard that and gasped. That was certainly possible judging by the soul bond she suspected had developed between the two.

"Um, Hermione, we need to talk. Privately!" Harry said guardedly.

At that point, Headmaster Dumbledore came in to check on Hermione. "Mr. Potter! You're alive? How is this possible?"

Poppy Pomfrey chose this moment to interrupt. "Headmaster, you need to leave immediately, there are issues with the two of them that need to be checked out medically. I'll let you know when you may interview them. Right now, OUT!" she said forcefully.

Albus blinked. He knew when Poppy meant business and was unwilling to test her temper. "As you wish, Poppy, but I need to talk to them as soon as possible. I see Ms. Granger is awake as well."

"I'll let you know, Albus. It won't be today, but perhaps by tomorrow."

Albus left with a curious backward glance at the pair, who seemed to be holding hands.

…..

Molly Weasley had cried all night over the loss of Harry Potter. Her dreams of one big happy Weasley family seemed to have crashed. Ginny was heartbroken but she could see a secret smile from Ron. She wondered what that was all about. Perhaps the Longbottom boy could fit into her plans; after all he was the scion of the Longbottom family and stood to inherit when he became of age.

Arthur was sad. He'd loved Harry like a son and couldn't believe he was gone. Watching his family, they all seemed saddened by this tragedy, except curiously, Ron.

When Molly and Arthur had left with Ginny, Ron had rubbed his hands in glee. Now he could have Hermione to himself and with a little flattery, she would help him achieve good marks. It never occurred to Ron that by working hard himself, that the same goal could be achieved. After all, why study when Hermione could do the work for him?

The twins had known Harry for almost two years now and were devastated that their friend had been killed by that slime-ball Lucius Malfoy. Draco had better watch out; any sign of gloating from the blond git would end badly for him.

Luna smiled to herself. She knew somehow that Harry hadn't died. _'Oh,'_ she thought, _'Hermione will be ever so pleased.'_

Minerva McGonagall notified Amelia Bones at Ministry Headquarters and the head of the DMLE had quickly flooed to Hogwarts.

"What happened, Minerva?" Amelia asked. "You mentioned there had been a murder of a student!"

"Harry Potter was murdered, Amelia." she choked. "Lucius Malfoy is accused of sending a killing curse at Harry. Mr. Malfoy's house elf banished his master down the corridor and into the wall. I've secured Mr. Malfoy."

"Lucius Malfoy killed Harry Potter? You can't be serious! Were there any witnesses besides the house elf?"

"No, but you can check his wand, that should be enough to convict him."

…..

After the Headmaster left, Harry started to ponder what else was different. Did Hermione hear what he'd just thought? He concentrated on sending a thought to her. _'Hermione? Can you hear me?'_

Hermione just about jumped out of her skin as she heard Harry ask if she heard him. She had been studying him closely and had definitely not seen him speaking.

"H-Harry? What's going on? I-I thought I heard you ask if I could hear you but… but you didn't open your mouth."

'_YES!'_ he thought, _'I can talk to her silently.'_

Hermione wasn't the smartest witch in her year for nothing and quickly figured it out. _'Harry, can you hear me? We can talk silently?'_

"Yes, Hermione," he whispered. "I could hear you just fine in my head. This might take a bit of practice but I don't think we should let anyone know about this. For now, I want to talk to you normally, but we can also speak silently as well. We don't want anyone to become suspicious, especially the Headmaster. I don't know who we can trust at the moment."

'_Why not the Headmaster, Harry, and what is this about me being your wife?'_

'_It's complicated, Hermione, and I think Madam Pomfrey suspects as well. I, well, I died, just as the Headmaster said. I met with a person called Fate in what appears to be the afterlife. He said you probably won't believe me, but I'll tell you what I know anyway.'_

'_Harry, this is too strange. Dumbledore was sure you'd died and I think Madam Pomfrey may have confirmed it. Of course I'm glad you're not! Tell me everything Harry' _she commanded.

Over the next hour, Harry recounted what he remembered and what Fate had told him. It was a skeptical Hermione that listened to the tale. The one thing going for Harry, was the fact that they could talk to each other in their heads and that Harry was, in fact, alive.

'_Oh, and we can't trust Ginny for sure. She's apparently after me for my fame and money,'_ he finished.

'_So basically, you're saying you have a second chance at this time frame.'_

'_Well, probably more that a second chance since all of the deaths after this point or before this point… hmmm, very confusing. Anyway, I've apparently died many times and with help from Fate have returned to try to improve my chances of survival. I don't exactly know why; I mean, why me?'_

'_And we're married? How did that work, Harry?'_

'_Well, according to Fate, we've soul bonded. To make matters worse, if I die, so do you! We're connected by our souls, therefore we're magically married. Um, Fate did say in order to complete the bond, we h-have t-to um, erm, c-consummate the bond.'_

Hermione looked at him suspiciously. _'Consummate Harry? Does that mean we have to have sex? Are you sure this isn't some trick to try to get into my knickers?'_

'_Honestly Hermione, I was as shocked as you, and no, that wasn't my thoughts at all. Fate did say we should wait until we're sixteen to have sex. Meanwhile, we can do other things…'_

'_Other things, Harry? Just what did you have in mind?'_

'_Erm, well, anything you're comfortable with Hermione. Kissing at least, I hope.'_

"_Well, I've always wanted to kiss you Harry, even last year when you saved me from the troll.'_

Harry reached over and held her hand, blushing as he did so.

Madam Pomfrey noticed this and was secretly happy that the two seemed to accept what she'd suspected: that a soul bond had taken place. She'd have to warn the couple that the bond would be fragile until it developed a bit more. Albus would not be happy, she sensed. _'Best keep this bit of news from him,'_ she thought.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, you seem to be recovering from your ordeal. I want to keep you here overnight and check you in the morning. Tell me Mr. Potter, do you know that you've soul bonded to Miss Granger? My scans tell me that there's a definite connection between you two. You'll have to be careful, the bond is very fragile at the moment."

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey, I uh, don't know how it happened, but, erm, yes, we definitely have a connection. Please don't tell anybody. It could be dangerous for us if anyone found out."

Hermione absorbed all this, thinking rapidly. _'So, even Madam Pomfrey can tell we've bonded. Harry, I-I think I-I l-love you.' _As she said this, her face turned a bright red.

Harry turned pink with pleasure at this admission. _'I think I've always loved you Hermione, even if I only thought it was just friendship. You're the only one that's always been there for me.'_

Madam Pomfrey continued, "I can assure you, Harry, that I'm bound to keep your secrets when requested by my patients. Normally I would only tell the Headmaster, but I sense that would not be a good idea in this case."

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey. The Headmaster is the last person I want to find out."

Poppy raised her eyebrows at this but decided not to pursue the topic any further. "Well then, I'll make sure you have some privacy for the night. I'll have one of the house elves bring dinner for the two you you."

…..

Albus Dumbledore met with his Deputy and the head of the DMLE. "Minerva, what have you told Amelia?"

"Just what the Malfoy house elf told us, Albus. It's a tragedy to lose Mr. Potter, and I understand Miss Granger is also badly hurt. Albus, how did Lucius expect to get away with killing Mr. Potter?"

"Relax, Minerva, Mr. Potter has apparently survived the killing curse a second time. As for Miss Granger, she's recovering as well."

"He survived? But Albus, he was dead when you and Poppy examined him! How is it possible that he's now alive?"

Amelia Bones had been paying close attention and gasped when she heard that Harry Potter had once again survived the killing curse. She had tested Lucius Malfoy's wand and ascertained that he did indeed fire an Avada Kedavra, and that was punishable by a long stint in Azkaban, if not a Dementor's kiss, since it was aimed at The-Boy-Who-Lived.

"We don't know, Minerva, we may never know. I have to talk to young Harry as soon as possible. Poppy won't let me near him until tomorrow at the earliest, and you know how stubborn she can be."

'Albus," Amelia interrupted. "I'm taking Lucius Malfoy into custody, and I'd like a statement from Mr. Potter as soon as possible as well. The Malfoy house elf cannot give testimony and there seems to be no other witnesses. His wand is proof enough that he tried to kill Mr. Potter, but I need his testimony before I can administer veritaserum. Rest assured, Mr. Malfoy will be out of circulation for a very long time, perhaps permanently, if I have anything to say about it."

…..

"Um, Madam Pomfrey, I know this sounds odd, but could we have an orange and a lemon for each of us with our dinner?"

"Certainly, Mr. Potter, may I ask why?"

"Erm, well, I'm not really sure why, but something just tells me we should each have one."

Hermione quirked her eyebrows at this definitely odd request. _'Harry? Why? Do you remember something else?'_

'_I'm not sure, Hermione, but I think it has something to do with strengthening the bond.'_

"_Now that's just weird Harry, but I'll go along. I don't think I can eat a lemon by itself though, they're rather sour.'_

'_I think we don't have to eat them, I think… wait, we have to… OH!'_

'_What is it Harry?'_

Harry blushed a bright scarlet, as Fate told him what they had to do.

…..


	3. Chapter 3: You Owe Me Five Farthings

The Hand of Fate

A/N The usual disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, that's JKR's and I'm pleased she made a ton on money from it. I, however, make none and couldn't care less.

This chapter name is from an old English nursery rhyme: Oranges & Lemons.

_You owe me five farthings_

_Say the bells of St Martins_

**Chapter 3: You Owe Me Five Farthings**

'_Well, that's just kinky,' _he thought. _'Hermione, we have to erm… um… r-rub the juice on each others ah… privates.'_

'_You're kidding, right? Harry James Potter! You, you…' _she couldn't continue when she saw he was serious.

Harry had a bad feeling about this, Hermione would kill him and he couldn't even explain how he just knew. _'Is Fate playing games?' _he thought.

As if in answer, Fate chose that moment to intervene. 'Ignore that, Harry, that's Pan up to his old tricks. He likes to interfere inappropriately. You do need to get on with the kissing and touching though. Nothing too naughty at this stage, but that will come when you're comfortable with it. Remember, only Hermione can know any of this.'

'_Erm, I just found out that that was a joke being played on us by Pan. Fate says to ignore that. He did say erm… that w-we n-need to g-get on with the k-k-kissing and t-touching though.' _Harry had managed to get that out, although he was still a bright scarlet.

Hermione considered that, smiled and reached across to him and, grasping him firmly behind his head brought her lips to his and kissed him. She wasn't shy about it either and held the kiss for almost a minute until the need to breathe become a problem.

Harry was shocked to his core. He'd never thought Hermione could be that forward, although now that he thought about it, he'd often wondered why she was placed in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw. Bold. That's what she was, he realised. The heated kiss seemed to stir something within him and he thought what she did was brilliant. Her lips were soft and moist and definitely affecting him.

…..

Fate was on a mission. "Pan! What the fuck are you trying to do? This meddling in my affairs has got to stop! My client is at a very delicate stage right now and if you ruin it… well The Man will hear about it. You are definitely not allowed to interfere."

"Aww Fate, I was just having a little fun. You take life (such as it is with mortals) much too seriously."

"Interfere again, and you'll see just how serious I can be!"

"Spoil sport. You know you can't really do anything to me… OUCH! STOP THAT!"

Pan had been jabbed hard in the arse with a trident Fate had borrowed from Neptune.

"Just so you know, I have means to make your life miserable, Pan. You are, after all, one of the lesser deities."

Pan scampered away, rubbing his buttocks, quietly vowing to get a bit of revenge. Of course Fate was right. The Man could make his life a lot worse as He had proven more than once.

…..

Ron was sitting back in the Gryffindor common room, plotting how to win back the bookworm. He'd need her if he had any hope of passing this year. _'Maybe some Chocolate Frogs. Harry had a stash in his trunk along with that cloak. Now that he's dead, I could use that as well.' _Walking up to Harry's bed, he started to reach for Harry's trunk, only to be stopped by Neville.

"What are you doing Ron? That's Harry's property."

"Um, Neville, I-I was just going to see if he had any spare Chocolate Frogs."

"I don't think you should poke around in a dead person's trunk, Ron."

"H-he won't miss them now, will he. It's not as if he has anyone to leave them to. Besides, I'm his best mate, he'd want me to have them."

"Ron, how insensitive can you be? Harry's only been dead for an hour and already you're filching stuff from him? You disgust me. You touch that trunk and I'll…"

"You'll what, Neville? You don't have the guts to…"

At that point, Ron found himself petrified as Neville cast the spell he learned from Hermione last year.

Neville smirked. "I think Hermione might have something to say as well Ron. I'll just leave you until the spell wears off. Oh, and I have a nice locking spell that my Gran taught me to make sure you don't get in. Harry and Hermione taught me a few other tricks this year, so don't think you'll get the best of me."

…..

Luna was humming to herself. Most of her classmates thought she was quite mad, but Luna had cultivated this image as a protection against those she deemed unworthy. It was easy to float through the halls, picking up obscure conversations when nobody paid attention to you. Luna had eavesdropped on Harry and Hermione when everyone else thought Harry was dead. There was certainly a lot not being said between the two, but something told her that that was the tip of the iceberg, since they did a lot of staring at each other with a few quiet whispers now and then. Then she saw what she had hoped. Hermione had grabbed Harry and snogged him within an inch of his life. Smiling, Luna left, hoping to get closer to the pair soon.

…..

Draco Malfoy had witnessed his father unconscious and slumped against a corridor wall with their house elf Dobby standing over him. "What the hell happened?" he wondered aloud. "DOBBY!" he screamed, "What have you done to my father?"

Dobby replied, "Nasty former master killed the great Harry Potter when master presented Dobby with clothes!"

Draco couldn't make sense of that. His father had killed Harry Potter? Well, that was certainly great news. _'Wait, my father! That damn bitch from the DMLE has arrested him and has his wand!'_ At that, Draco panicked and shot a Reducto spell at the bitch.

Amelia was on full alert, sensing the danger might not have passed and ducked as a nasty red stunner passed over her. "Stupefy!" Amelia had spotted the source and fired the powerful spell as she prepared to transport Lucius Malfoy to the Ministry for questioning under veritaserum.

Draco was blasted back down the corridor and slumped unconscious thirty meters from where he started.

The Headmaster had arrived just as Draco was stunned and raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Amelia, what's going on?"

"That little shite tried to curse me, Albus. I'll be taking him in for interrogation as well as Lucius."

"Surely not, Amelia, he's just a child! I can't allow…"

"This isn't open for discussion or negotiation, Albus. He attacked a minister of the DMLE. I could have him kissed for that!"

Albus recoiled in horror. "Amelia, you can't be serious! The Dementors kiss? I'm sure you're exaggerating."

"Albus," she warned, "you don't want to interfere in the performance of my duties! If that spell had hit me, it could have killed me. That's attempted murder. If I had my way, the whole Malfoy family would be in Azkaban. Unfortunately, the niceties of law must be observed. I've tested Lucius Malfoy's wand and the last spell was indeed the killing curse. He will at least spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, and once word gets out that he's murdered Harry Potter, he'll be thrown through the veil in the Death Chamber."

Albus bowed his head, knowing there was no hope for Lucius. "But Harry isn't dead, Amelia. Somehow he's survived once more. Surely the veil won't be used."

Amelia acknowledged that Harry had survived, but knew that wouldn't save Lucius. "It doesn't matter, Albus, you and Madam Pomfrey pronounced him dead. That's murder and it doesn't matter as far as the law is concerned that he's now returned to life. I'll be asking for a pensieve memory from both you and Poppy. As for the Malfoy brat, I'm still going to persue full charges against him." And with that, she gathered Draco and Lucius up and portkeyed them away. Amelia had one of the few portkeys that worked at Hogwarts. Albus, as the Headmaster, was the only other able to portkey at Hogwarts.

…..

Arriving at DMLE headquarters, Amelia quickly headed for the cells with the pair still in tow. Passing the cell block guard, she requisitioned an interrogation room and two aurors as witnesses. Kingsley Shacklebolt and John Dawlish showed up within minutes.

"Gentlemen, I have two prisoners that need questioning under veritaserum. You will be my witnesses. Any bets what we'll find?" Amelia smirked as Kingsley and John gaped at who she'd brought in.

"Well, the standard five farthing bet then?" Dawlish answered.

"Taken," Kingsley returned.

"Cheapskates," Amelia smiled.

"Use of the imperius curse?" Dawlish bet.

"Naw, it's got to be the killing curse for the boss to bring him in," Shack answered.

"Good guess, Auror Shacklebolt. Lets wake them and start the questioning on the pair of them. Lucius first."

After the veritaserum was given and both prisoners were questioned at length, they were locked in the secure cells.

Kingsley spoke shakily. "I can't believe that Lucius killed Harry Potter!"

"Kingsley, this isn't to be spread around, but Harry survived once again," Amelia warned. "With this evidence, I want no one, especially Fudge finding out about this until I can bring this case to the Wizengamot. I want the full extent of the law brought down on him. In Draco's case, he's a hothead that nearly got me killed. That's attempted murder of a Ministry official. I want him charged as such. His wand and my testimony should put him behind bars or at least have his wand snapped and magic bound."

"John, you owe me five farthings," Kingsley grinned.

Dawlish was amazed that Potter had survived and gladly handed over the agreed five knuts, the closest amount to the old British coin that had been discontinued years ago.

…..


End file.
